The construction of the Mizuta Mikio Memorial Hall and the new building for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences on Josai University’s Sakado Campus (in Sakado City, Saitama Prefecture) has been completed. This is a commemorative project by Josai University Educational Corporation for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the university. The university held a ceremony for the completion of the construction of these buildings on March 28, 2017. About 400 people, including heads of local governments, chairpersons of local assemblies, architects, representatives from the construction company, local community residents, faculty members, and students, participated in the ceremony to commemorate the completion of construction.

The Mizuta Mikio Memorial Hall (Mikio Mizuta is the founder of the university) is located at the bottom of Josai Hill, which is a symbol of the Sakado Campus, and has an elegantly arched roof that matches the shape of the hill. The hall has two floors above the ground, and its floor space is about 1,800 sq. meters. The hall has an auditorium, multi-purpose lounge space, the Founder’s Room, and other facilities. At the Founder’s Room, visitors can learn about the life of Mikio Mizuta, who lived in post-war Japan, and about the history of the university. The Founder’s Room displays photos, video images, and about 100 items relating to Mikio Mizuta, including the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, decorations received from foreign governments, a work desk, and court uniforms.
　 The new building for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has nine floors above ground and one basement floor, and its floor space is about 12,000 sq. meters. The building is located at the southeastern end of the campus, and it serves as a landmark or gateway to the campus. The building has classrooms, laboratories, offices of faculty members, and other facilities. On the laboratory floors, there are no walls between research rooms, and this novel design enables students and teachers to actively interact with one other.

At the ceremony, after a Shinto service, a ribbon-cutting event was held in front of the Mizuta Mikio Memorial Hall. Motoyuki Ono, Chancellor ad interim of Josai University Educational Corporation, who is the contractee of the construction work, said in his greeting speech, “In this great weather, which is perfect for Josai University to make a new start, the construction of the Mizuta Mikio Memorial Hall and the new building for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, which will be a new symbol of Josai University, has been completed. By means of this Memorial Hall, we would like to cherish the memory of the founder and honor his achievements.” Motoyuki Ono, Akira Shirahata, President of Josai University, Hakuo Yanagisawa, President of Josai International University, Kiyoshi Ishikawa, Mayor of Sakado City, Noriko Mizuta, Trustee of Josai University Educational Corporation, and other guests, cut the ribbon, after which participants toured the buildings.

At the banquet, Motoyuki Ono gave a speech, which was followed by a speech by Noriko Mizuta. Ms. Mizuta said, “We have marked the 50th anniversary of founding, and we will take a new step forward. We would like you to continue to watch Josai grow further. Thanks to all of you, great buildings have been built. I believe that the founder is very pleased.” Then, Akira Shirahata made a toast, saying, “The university intends to focus its efforts upon achieving student-centered education and to contribute to local communities by using these two beautiful buildings.”

After that, Hitoshi Abe, Representative Director of Atelier Hitoshi Abe, who is an architect and who supervised the design of the buildings, Shigeyoshi Yamamoto, Director and Managing Officer of Kume Sekkei, and Shingo Ura, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Tokyo Head Office Manager at Obayashi Corporation, which is the contractor of the construction work, made speeches. In his speech, Mr. Abe said, “I hope that the new building for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences will become a kind of milestone in terms of design for future development of the campus.” He concluded his speech by saying, “It is a very big challenge for any university to find out how to connect local and global viewpoints. I expect that the Memorial Hall will be very helpful as a platform connecting the university with local communities and with global activities.” There were many other guests at the ceremony, and Yoshiro Fujinawa, Mayor of Tsurugashima City, Hiroshi Ishii, Chairperson of the Sakado City Council, and Koichi Furukawa, Deputy Mayor of Togane City of Chiba Prefecture, offered words of congratulation.
　 Finally, Hakuo Yanagisawa, who resigned at the end of March, made the closing speech, saying, “I would like to ask faculty members and the people who attended the ceremony today to offer full-hearted cooperation and guidance for the next 50 years by using this commemorative project for the 50th anniversary of founding as a springboard.”

In conjunction with the ceremony, an exhibition featuring works by Hirohide Hashimoto (1933– 2000), an oil painter who served as Executive Trustee of Josai University Educational Corporation and supported the founder for a long time, is being held at the Mizuta Museum of Art. With his eye for detail, Hirohide Hashimoto used the harmony of opposite colors and a well-ordered composition and continued to develop a style that aims to recreate objects in paintings. At this exhibition, 36 works, which are either owned and managed by Josai University Educational Corporation, or possessed by individuals, are displayed. The exhibition consists of two parts, with the first being held until May 2 and the second planned between May 9 and June 17.